If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NRSV
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When I was a kid, I wanted to be Spider-Man. I would have given almost anything to be able to shoot those webs out of my wrists and climb on walls! I dressed up like Spider-Man for Halloween more than once and had all the action figures. Whatever power Spider-Man had . . . I wanted! I wasn’t the only one. Growing up in the age of the birth of super heroes, many of my friends wanted to be one: Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman . . . the list goes on and on.
The formula for super heroes was easy. Each one had a main power that made them great. Superman, while all powerful, was nothing without his ability to fly. Batman had all kinds of tools, but without his agility he was just an average person.
Here in 1 Corinthians 13 (a popular set of verses, I’m sure you’ve seen this passage before, perhaps at a wedding) Paul talks about abilities and gifts. There are a lot of gifts that people can have. You can be a good speaker. You can have great knowledge. You can be a super generous person. All of this is great, but the greatest super-power you have is the gift of love. Without love, the rest of the gifts don’t amount to a hill of beans, as they say. Our ability to express love to one another is our “ super-power” as Christians. It is what defines us. Love for one another is a sign of our unity, our community with each others and with others.
Today, exercise your gift of love for someone. Take time to be a super hero for another in your day!
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NRSV
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
When I was a kid, I wanted to be Spider-Man. I would have given almost anything to be able to shoot those webs out of my wrists and climb on walls! I dressed up like Spider-Man for Halloween more than once and had all the action figures. Whatever power Spider-Man had . . . I wanted! I wasn’t the only one. Growing up in the age of the birth of super heroes, many of my friends wanted to be one: Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman . . . the list goes on and on.
The formula for super heroes was easy. Each one had a main power that made them great. Superman, while all powerful, was nothing without his ability to fly. Batman had all kinds of tools, but without his agility he was just an average person.
Here in 1 Corinthians 13 (a popular set of verses, I’m sure you’ve seen this passage before, perhaps at a wedding) Paul talks about abilities and gifts. There are a lot of gifts that people can have. You can be a good speaker. You can have great knowledge. You can be a super generous person. All of this is great, but the greatest super-power you have is the gift of love. Without love, the rest of the gifts don’t amount to a hill of beans, as they say. Our ability to express love to one another is our “ super-power” as Christians. It is what defines us. Love for one another is a sign of our unity, our community with each others and with others.
Today, exercise your gift of love for someone. Take time to be a super hero for another in your day!
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